Shades of Avarice
by Lady Jaye1
Summary: The Question makes a dangerous new enemy while investigating a secret crime ring.
1. VII

_Disclaimer: I don't own the DC verse or JLU._

_Author's Note: I was intending to wait until either This Ain't the Golden Years or Resurrecting the Red was finished before I started on this, but I decided to do it anyway. I'm not sure how much time I will have this summer to update since I'm going to be gone. Because of that, I decided to start on it early._

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 1: VII_

A woman had been killed in Hub City.

This wasn't unusual, necessarily. Like Gotham, Hub City was a city notorious for its crooks as well as internal corruption. What was unusual was that this woman had been a prominent City Council Member.

_Name: Mary Evelynn Czerwinski-Bradvn  
Age: 62_

Investigative Reporter, Charles Victor Szasz "Vic Sage" had tried to get close to the crime scene, but had been rebuffed by the city police. Not to be daunted, he had simply hacked into the Hub City Police system later to see their official report.

_Cause of Death: Uncertain. There appeared no signs of a struggle. An autopsy showed no signs of rape or other physical abuse. Additional testing revealed traces of the drug Curare in the deceased's blood stream._

A pair of blue eyes narrowed beneath a faceless mask. Vic Sage, the Question, was turning the police report in his mind as he silently, and quickly, gave an illegal search of the dead woman's apartment.

_Curare, _the Question automatically thought. "_A poison historically used by South American indigenous people. It is often used in small doses in modern anesthesia. But through an error or accident, a patient remains fully conscious and sensitive to pain during surgery, but is unable to move and thus unable to alert attending staff to their state of awareness."_

_So_, he thought, she _must have been conscious, but unable to defend herself._ Vic Sage carefully avoided the security cameras that the police had set up in the apartment as he pondered the mystery.

A political assassination? It was possible. According to the Question, anything was possible. However…

His mind flickered back to the photo of the dead woman. The roman numerals for seven, _"VII,"_ had been etched in bloody detail into her left cheek.

Why "VII"? Why in roman numerals?

If this was a political assassination, it was no ordinary one.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

"_Who were my parents?" the young boy asked. The stern faced nun glared down at him. The young orphan, one of many in the orphanage, had developed a reputation as a 'troublemaker'._

"_I don't know," the sister answered stiffly. "Now be off. It's time for the rosary."_

_The red haired boy trundled off, hiding his loneliness and disappointment under a mask of bitter nonchalance. He had no friends at the orphanage and none of the foster families wanted him. The only true friends he had consisted of the old gardener, Old Sam, and the young nun, Sister Theresa, who snuck him treats behind the Mother Superior's back._

_Charles Victor Szasz swallowed the lump in his throat and fought down his loneliness. He had literally been abandoned on the doorstep of the Catholic orphanage when he was a baby. The red haired boy had no idea who his family had been._

_Fighting down several unwelcome tears, he ran back towards the dormitories. He knew he would get into trouble for missing the daily rosary, but he would deal with it._

_As a child, Vic Sage was always in trouble._

"Are you okay Q?" Helena Bertinelli asked. Vic murmured a noncommittal reply and turned over to try to feign sleep. Unconvinced by his acting, the Huntress gave him a whack to the head. Vic turned over in the bed to blink at her tiredly.

"Must you be so violent?" he asked dryly. Helena gave him a smirk before it turned into a concerned glare.

"You were having another nightmare," she accused.

"Not a nightmare," Vic mumbled. "Just another bad memory."

Helena peered at him through her long dark hair. It had taken some pushing on her part to even get the stubborn man to bed and even longer for him to fall sleep. He was obsessed with solving the apparent murder of the City Council member.

It appeared as if all her efforts and threats were now wasted. His dreams, which were usually not pleasant, always served to keep him awake the rest of the night. That was, she suspected, in part why he had become known in the League as a "Kook" or a "Nutcase".

The truth was, she believed, was that his conspiracy theories were a way for him to focus his mind off of more unpleasant things, like his childhood.

"Q," she murmured. "Vic." She ran a hand through his reddish-blond hair. Granted, her Q wasn't exactly Prince Charming, but he was _hers. _

He stared up at the ceiling. She could only imagine at the jumbled strain of thoughts that constantly plagued him.

"Vic," she said quietly. "We've talked about this before. "You're the Question, you…"

"The biggest question," Vic admitted softly. "Is who am I?"

There was a pause. Helena knew that the only person he had ever admitted, would _ever _admit that to, was her.

"Find out," Helena encouraged. "You're the Question. Figure it out."

Vic Sage closed his eyes, wondering just how he would figure that one out.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The man paused before entering the silent building. It was early morning in Hub City, just barely three in the morning. Few people were up and about this time of day.

"Stop."

The man paused as the security guards checked him for hidden weapons, which was futile as far as he was concerned. However, the group had agreed that each of its members would submit to a security check, no matter how useless they each thought it was.

Finally finished with their search, the guards let him go after checking his briefcase. The man picked it up and continued on his way. He paused briefly before his intended doorway as he picked up traces of the argument on the other side of it.

"_You've endangered this operation! If you had to kill Bradvn, you should have made it look like an accident or like a normal assassination!"_

"_Oh do calm down Lust dear_," another female voice purred_. "You do know how I enjoy playing with my victims. Besides, we all know I'm not half as bad as Gluttony…"_

"_Victims?" _the first female voice, "Lust", raised itself in outrage_. "Because of your sick pastimes, we could be…_

"_Enough, the both of you," _a firm, deep voice ordered. _"Although I do have to agree with Lust, Sloth. If you had to kill the woman, you should have picked a less…interesting way."_

"_Yes," _another voice added._ "At the very least, you shouldn't have carved 'VII' into her face. That's going to raise unwanted questions." _The woman being berated, "Sloth", closed her mouth as she cast a fearful look at their "leader."

"_Of course Greed," _she murmured._ "Please forgive me."_

The man outside the door placed a white, demonic mask over his face before walking into the occupied room.


	2. The Discovery

_Disclaimer: I don't own the DC verse or JLU._

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 2: The Discovery_

"_So you're telling me that you don't feel the least bit guilty?" _Helena asked dryly.

"Perhaps a little," Vic admitted quietly. He was in the basement of St. Catherine's Catholic Orphanage, busily thumbing through their records.

"_Ever hear of asking for them?"_

Vic Sage chose not to respond as he flipped through the orphanage's records, looking for his own file. It had taken some convincing on his part to even set foot in the orphanage again. The strict discipline of the nuns and the memory of bitter loneliness had left him reluctant to return.

"_Was it really that bad Q?" _Helena asked quietly. Vic paused as he finally came across the record marked 'Charles Victor Szasz'. Fortunately, the sisters kept their files in immaculate order.

"Not all the time," Vic admitted. "They meant well, however, Sister Theresa was the only one I ever got along with." He opened up the folder.

_Name: Charles Victor Szasz  
Date of admission: September 5, 1976_

Vic's eyes scanned down the list. So far, he had seen nothing that he already didn't know.

_Gender: Male  
Eyes: Blue  
Hair: Red  
Age: Appears to be about 6 months old  
Family: Unknown except for one older brother, Edward Nicholas Szasz. The older brother appears to be about two years old. The only information given was an attached note giving the names of the brothers._

Vic froze as he reread the last part.

"_Family: Unknown except for one older brother, Edward Nicholas Szasz. The older brother appears to be about two years old. The only information given was an attached note giving the names of the brothers."_

Brother? But they had _told _him that they didn't know anything! They had said that he was the only one dropped off at the orphanage!

Vic also mentally punched himself. He of all people should have known not to take anything at face value. Why had he waited so many years to look at his own file?

"_Q?" _Helena asked cautiously. Even over the radiolink she had caught his change of mood. _"What is it?"_

The Question flipped quickly through the slim file, trying to find the note that had been left with him…them. To his growing dismay, there was neither the note nor any other information on his apparent older brother.

"Why?" he muttered out loud. Why would they not tell him? Had something happened to his brother? Had he been adopted? Vic Sage had to restrain himself from tearing the drawer apart as he searched for a file marked 'Edward Nicholas Szasz'.

There wasn't one.

"_Vic?" _Helena asked again, this time more urgently. _"What is…"_

Vic didn't answer as he quickly photographed the contents in the file before replacing everything as it was. He now had more questions than before, with various possible theories running through his brain.

Why? Why had they never told him? Why wasn't there a file? Vic found himself shaking with sudden anger. Damn them! He had a brother and they never told him? Why?

He felt betrayed.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Will the arms shipment be on schedule Pride?"

"Yes, Comrade Envy."

Envy smirked underneath his mask. Pride gave no other answer as they looked out over the Hub City skyline. He couldn't judge the other man's mood. Like each member of _The Seven Sins_, Pride wore a white, demonic mask.

None of them knew who every member of the group was. Greed, as the leader, knew each of their true identities. However the rest of them: Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth and himself, did not. As a rule, they only knew the true identity of one other member in the group.

Pride happened to be the one he was familiar with, at which the man never ceased to express his displeasure in some usually creative fashion. His and Pride's relationship was tenuous at best.

"When will you be returning to Shanghai?" Envy asked carefully. As a rule, they met at least once a month, usually in Hub City.

"Soon," Pride answered shortly. Envy shrugged his shoulders. That was usually all he ever got out of the Communist official. The American turned to go, pausing at the doorway.

"Pride," Envy said. "Greed wants to speak privately with you before you leave."

Greed gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Helena stared at him in surprise. She had been keeping an eye on the dead City Council member's house for Vic. The Question had installed a wiretap on the phone of her surviving husband that hadn't yet been discovered by the police.

"You…have a brother?" she asked. The faceless man next to her shrugged uncomfortably beneath his fedora.

"I should have looked at my file a long time ago," Vic muttered, criticizing himself yet again. The truth was, he hadn't looked at his file because he hadn't cared to go back to the orphanage. The sisters had told him that they had known nothing about his past. Like the young fool he had been at the time, he hadn't questioned them.

Now he wished he'd had.

"You couldn't find any information on him?" Helena asked. Vic shook his head. The Huntress sighed internally. As if Vic didn't have enough problems already: the murdered woman, his past, his conspiracy theories, his interrogation by Cadmus…and now this.

"I'm going to go talk to them," Vic said. "I'm going to ask them and see if they show me the file. I want to see if they're purposely trying to hide something from me."

Helena pursed her lips thoughtfully. That made sense. If Charles Victor Szasz asked to see his file and they don't show him what the Question had found….

Or if they did show it him, but not…

_Damn_, Helena thought. _I'm getting as bad as Vic._ One thought and she was already coming up with 'theories'.

"I'll come with you," Helena volunteered. Vic turned his blank face to look at her and Helena corrected herself.

"I'm _going _with you," she said firmly. "You don't have a choice." The Huntress wasn't sure, but she thought she heard a chuckle underneath the fedora

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Greed looked up from the blurry photograph in front of him. The picture was dark, but he could make out the blue trench coat.

"The Question could become a problem if he's investigating Bradvn's murder," Lust said. She watched as the man behind the desk laced his fingers together thoughtfully.

"Keep an eye on him if possible," Greed finally said. "We've kept everything clean. There shouldn't be a trail that he can follow."

"You're not worried?" Lust asked in surprise. "He's brought down others before, including a major crime ring. He's also a member of the Justice League."

"Not from what I hear," Greed answered. He sensed her puzzlement beneath the demonic mask and continued.

"The Question had a bit of a falling out with the Justice League after the Cadmus fiasco, if I remember correctly," Greed answered. "As far as the Question, the fools he brought down were pebbles compared to us. If we're careful, he won't find anything."

Lust closed her mouth before she could ask the next question. Greed's patience only lasted so long. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten that kind of information on the League.

"By the way," Greed said dryly. "Give my regards to Senator Greer."


	3. The Orphanage

_Disclaimer: I don't own the DC verse or JLU._

_Author's Note: _

_This isn't a Full Metal Alchemist/JLU crossover. However, I am taking (stealing) some elements from the FMA world. So I suppose I'd better do a disclaimer. (I don't own FMA). Also, the Seven Sins in my story were originally going to be normal humans, but I decided to make it more interesting by stealing the homunculi/created human concept from FMA as well. Be warned though, I'm not transplanting characters. I'm just stealing the concept. So if you don't know a thing about Full Metal Alchemist, it won't matter. _

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 3: The Orphanage_

The senator hid his unease at having two members of the Seven Sins in his office. Senator James Greer tried to hide the drop of sweat that was threatening to run down his aging face.

"Now now Senator, no need to be so nervous," Sloth said cheerfully. She wasn't wearing the white mask, but James Franklin Greer knew who she was. The woman was the only member of the Sins that he knew of who had the ability to shapeshift. He also knew that whatever face she was showing wasn't even her real one.

"Tell Greed I'm not interested," Greer said firmly, trying hard to hide his unease. The other Sin, Lust, sighed as she crossed her arms. She was wearing the white demonic mask, but her tight clothes revealed that underneath lay beautiful, silky chocolate skin.

The name of Lust was aptly named.

"May I remind you Senator that it was Greed who provided the majority of your campaign funds," Lust reminded him smoothly. The senator's knuckles turned white as he debated his next response.

"Remember Greer," Sloth added. "Greed is above all else, a business man. He expects a return on his investment."

"If I do this, I might end up butting heads with Amanda Waller. She's been behind the scenes on this new Defense bill," Senator Kelly said tightly. "She's not a woman to be taken lightly."

"Oh, I don't think Waller will be a problem," Sloth continued cheerfully. Senator Greer raised his eyebrows.

"I won't take part in a political assassination like you did to…" He started.

"We're not going to kill her," Lust said tiredly. "Sloth is just trying to get you worked up. Besides, you're not going against her directly. We just want you to keep the Senate's new bill from passing."

"Fine," Greer said reluctantly. He knew that there was no way around this. "However…."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Lust said. "This is a direct 'request' from Greed. You know what that means." Senator Greer slumped in his seat, showing his sixty-seven years. Sloth smirked cheerfully at him.

"Yes," Senator James Greer whispered. "Yes, I do."

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Helena looked around curiously as she followed Vic into the orphanage. It was small, compared to other orphanages she had seen. She saw an elderly Franciscan nun leading several young children into a nearby chapel to pray.

Vic rarely spoke about his childhood. She'd known that he was an orphan and that he had been raised in the orphanage. But other than that, he never said much. Helena always got the sense that he'd always been a bit of the outsider, never having made any friends with the other children.

"Excuse me," Vic said.

Helena looked back to see that Vic was now talking to a young woman at the information desk. As she wasn't wearing habit, Helena guessed that she was probably a volunteer.

"Are you two looking to adopt?" the young woman asked. Helena gave a start and almost laughed. She checked herself though at a glance from Vic.

"No," Vic answered. "I grew up here. I'd like to see my personal file, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course," the young woman said. "Your name Sir?"

"Charles Victor Szasz."

The young woman scurried off into the back room and came back. She informed them that someone would bring his papers up shortly.

"So Vic," Helena said while they waited. "How many stones are in this buil…"

"One thousand seven hun…"

"You're not supposed to answer that!"

"You asked," Vic answered simply. Helena glared at him as she crossed her arms. His file hadn't come up yet.

"So.." Helena started again. "Can you speak Latin?" Vic looked at her, his lips twitching ever so slightly.

"Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?" he asked.

"You liar!" Helena accused. "You said that the only foreign language that you could speak was German!"

"Latin's not a foreign language, it's a dead language," Vic replied. Helena glared at him before hitting him in the arm. The young woman at the front desk pretended to ignore the pair.

"So, what's it mean anyway?" Helena asked. Vic put on an air of mock puzzlement.

"What does what mean?" he asked innocently.

"What you just said," Helena demanded.

"You mean 'Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam posit materiari?'" he asked. Helena glared at him in reply.

"It means 'How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood,'" Vic answered seriously. Just for that, Helena hit him again.

"Um, your file Sir," the young woman said. Vic thanked her and opened up the file, with Helena peering over his shoulder. He realized right away that it was the same file that he had seen earlier.

"Is there a file on Edward Nicholas Szasz?" Vic asked calmly. Inside though, he was seething. Why had no one ever told him about a brother? Why hadn't….

Were they trying to hide something from him?

A few minutes later, the young woman was apologizing to him. Apparently they hadn't been able to find the other file. Vic's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his own. He handed the file back and turned to go, when he paused.

"Where can I find Sister Theresa?" he asked.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How is the police investigation going?" Greed asked. He twirled his wine around in the clear glass as he studied the other Sin.

"No where, of course," Wrath answered. Her green eyes glittered at him in amusement. She held direct influence over several high ranking members of the Hub City police department.

"How much did you bribe them?" Greed asked dryly. Wrath smirked widely at him, revealing a set of sharp teeth.

"Not too much," she answered. "By the way…the Injustice League would like to know if you want to give them a charitable donation."

"I don't like Grodd or Luthor," Greed stated. "If someone else was running the show, I might consider it."

"What about you?" she asked curiously. "You don't want the Injustice League under your control?" Greed gave a snort, showing what he thought of the organization.

"I will admit, they have shown greater possibilities since Grodd joined it," Greed admitted. "However, even with his high intellect, he still makes too many mistakes. As for Luthor, I might have once considered…a business contract with him. Unfortunately, he seems to have gone somewhat insane after his contact with Brainiac."

"Humans are such frail creatures," Wrath noted.

Greed took a sip of wine.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Helena and Vic found Sister Theresa out in the garden. Helena was surprised to see that she didn't appear to be much older than Vic.

The sister's gray eyes had brightened the moment she saw Vic walking towards her. Helena gave her a favorable point for that.

"Charles," Sister Theresa said. "It's been so long! What are you doing here?" Helena watched as the nun hugged the stiff Vic Sage, clearly delighted to see him. The Huntress still wasn't sure if she could trust the woman.

"I need to talk to you," Vic said quietly. "It's important." The nun paused as she looked at the red haired man. After a moment, she nodded and led them to a secluded corner of the garden. A minute later, they had settled on the grass.

Vic Sage cut straight to the point.

"My file says that I have a brother," Vic said with an undertone of anger. "Why didn't you tell me?" The nun looked surprised.

"You didn't know?" she asked. Helena deducted a point.

"Don't lie to me…" Vic started. He halted at the flash of anger in the sister's gray eyes. As far as he knew, she had never lied to him.

"I'm not lying," Sister Theresa said firmly. "I thought you knew. You never said anything about it, so I never brought it up. You never were the kind of person that liked to have his private thoughts pried into." Helena added back the point she had deducted.

"He's still not," Helena said. "I sometimes have to threaten him." The sister's eyes twinkled briefly in amusement before growing serious again.

"But I had asked you about my parents," Vic protested, now realizing that this would get him no where. He had only asked the sister once before realizing that the young nun didn't know anything more than the others. She at least had been willing to talk to him.

"Yes, I know," Sister Theresa said quietly. "If I remember correctly, you had asked 'Do you know who my parents were?' I'm sorry I never mentioned your brother, but I've never known anything either. Remember, I was only seventeen when I joined the convent. You were already eleven."

"Seventeen?" Helena asked in surprise. "I didn't think they took anyone that young anymore."

"I had special permission," the sister answered. "I came from a very poor family. I had wanted to join, so I received permission from the bishop." The nun paused.

"Still," the sister said. "It is very odd. There should be information on your brother in there too. There should be a record of what happened to him. Whether or not he was adopted, moved to another orphanage, or…"

"…or died," Helena added softly. She cast a look at Vic. He was staring off into the distance. She was sure that he had at least four or five theories in his head by now.

"Can you find out any more?" Helena asked. The sister sighed.

"I don't know, but I'll try," Sister Theresa said. "I don't exactly have seniority. I'm only six years older than Charles."

"Vic," Vic corrected. "I don't like Charles." Helena and Sister Theresa shared a smirk. The Huntress knew that she now had another tool to irritate Vic with.

"Okay, _Charles_," Helena said. "Perhaps we should get going." Vic gave her a dirty look, causing both her and the nun to snicker.

Helena decided that perhaps she might like the Franciscan nun.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Author's note: I know Vic hasn't done much as the Question yet, especially with investigating the murder. Don't worry though, he'll get down to the nitty gritty next chapter as the Question._

_I also got a lot of information about Vic off of the Wikipedia. It does say that he was abandoned as a baby at a Catholic orphanage in Hub City. The Wikipedia and other sources all say that little is known about Vic's childhood, other than he was "a bitter orphan who grew up to be an investigative reporter for KBEL-TV under the name Vic Sage."_

_And also, apparently:_

"_Also, the Question has a few... issues. He can't stand closets or anything very small; he has problems with the likes of the Justice League."_

_Heh, Vic has claustrophobia? I could make use of that._


	4. Bradvn

_**Important-Please Read, Editing Changes**: I went back and made some editing changes in the previous chapters. Senator James Greer was originally Senator Kelly, but I changed it to avoid confusion with the Kelly from the X-Men. Vic was also originally the older brother, not the younger brother. I've recently started reading back issues of The Question though and it states that he was dropped off at the orphanage when he was six months old. I want to keep Vic's background as close as I can to the comics while also trying to fit this into the JLU universe. I've also recently read the Watchmen, so there'll be some Rorschach and other Watchmen references coming up._

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 4: Bradvn_

**Hub City  
KBEL Daily News**

"_Police so far have little to report on the Bradvn murder. Detective Alejandro Soliz claims that they are 'close' and will apprehend the murderer 'very soon.' Yet, of course, another sterling example of the incompetence of Hub City's finest."_

"_On a related note, Mayor Myra Fermin will hold a press conference tomorrow at 9:30 in the morning. For KBEL News, I'm Vic Sage."_

Vic Sage took a sip of water as the cameras clicked off. He hid a grimace as his boss, Finch, came storming over. The balding, overweight man shoved a finger at the investigative reporter.

"Sage!" Finch sputtered.

"Is there a problem?" Vic asked dryly, knowing full well what was coming. This wasn't the first time that he and Finch had bumped heads. However, his boss knew full well that the television ratings had gone up since investigative reporter Vic Sage had joined KBEL News. He also knew that if anyone was going to find the truth, it was Sage.

"Let's see," Finch continued angrily. "How about 'another sterling example of the incompetence of Hub City's finest'?"

"I seem to remember when you had me cover the collapse of the Newton Avenue Bridge," Vic countered calmly. "As I remember it about a hundred of Hub City's 'finest' sat on their thumbs while I saved a kid, who if you remember, ended up drowning because they didn't want to risk their necks on a collapsing bridge."

Finch didn't have a reply to that. Taking that as his cue, Vic turned to go.

"Sage," Finch finally said, somewhat calmer. "You may be our best reporter and you may be a friend of the Mayor, but that won't save you if you ever cross the line."

"And what line would that be Finch?" Vic asked.

He didn't receive an answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

"The incompetence of Hub City's finest. I like it," Professor Aristotle Rodor, or "Tot" said, sipping on a cup of hot tea. The inventor of the Question's Pseudoderm mask and Charles Victor Szasz's former college professor eyed the younger red haired man now digging through his refridgerator.

"Seriously Charlie, when are you going to bring that young lady of yours to meet me?" Tot asked.

"It's Vic now, Tot, not Charlie," Vic retorted automatically. "How many times do I have to remind you?" Tot waved him off.

"Vic, Charles, the Question…the one I first met was a young punk college student named Charlie."

"If you keep that up, I'm never bringing Helena here. Who know what kind of horror stories you'll tell her?"

"Oh," Professor Rodor smiled. "I can think of plenty. I seem to remember a young nineteen year old digging through the trash of a certain sorority house because he thought they were engaged in satanic rituals."

"They were," Vic replied stubbornly, still embarrassed that he had been caught red handed back then. Luckily his professor had been more amused than angry.

Luckily for him that he hadn't been caught by someone else.

"This is serious Tot," Vic finally said, settling down in the armchair next to Professor Rodor. "Bradvn's murder…I can't find a motive."

"VII," Tot muttered. Vic had filled him in on the details. "Seven sins?"

"That was my thought," Vic admitted, biting into a sandwich. "I've been looking into Bradvn's past. There's strong evidence that she was going to run against Myra in the next mayoral election."

The professor raised an interested eyebrow.

"Who were her supporters?" he asked. Vic stood up and grabbed a file off of the kitchen counter and handed it to Tot. His former professor opened up the manila folder and thumbed through its contents.

"Senator Keene?" Tot asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he one of the opponents of the Justice League?"

"He opposes all vigilantes. He and some of his supporters tried a while back to introduce a bill that would outlaw vigilantism. It failed obviously, but there was some backing for it, especially after the Watchtower blew up Cadmus facilities."

"What's his connection to Bradvn?" Tot asked. Vic pulled out a sheet of paper from the pile in Tot's hands.

"Bradvn was in close contact with Keene before she died. There was also a transfer of $20,000 to a private account of Bradvn's, but listed under a false name."

"A transfer from Keene?"

"I'm not sure," Vic admitted. "Things aren't adding up. Why assassinate someone who you were personally bankrolling for an election?"

"Why carve VII into a dead woman's face?" Professor Rodor added distantly. Vic leaned closer to his old teacher and cast him an intense look.

"Something big is going on, Professor," Vic said quietly. "I can feel it. There's a lot more to this than meets the eye. I don't like it."

"You never do," Tot murmured quietly. "Charlie…be careful. Lord knows I stressed enough when you disappeared for a week. If I could, I'd go over and kick that Waller woman in the ass myself for what they did to you."

Vic allowed himself a brief smile at that.

"You'll have to wait…Helena's the first in line," he said. Professor Rodor gave him a sly grin.

"I'm starting to like this girl," Tot said. "Can't wait to meet her."

The professor watched as Charles Victor Szasz began to pull on his trench coat. The younger man carefully checked to make sure that he had his Pseudoderm mask hidden in the small hollow compartment in his belt.

"Going out tonight again, I see," Tot stated. Vic pulled on his fedora.

"I might have to get slightly illegal. The Question's good at slightly illegal," Vic Sage answered. He buttoned up his long coat.

"Charlie…"

"I told you, it's not Charlie anymore."

Tot ignored him. They had this argument every time. It drove his former student insane.

"Charlie," Professor Rodor continued anyway. "About your brother…I'll see what I can find out while you're out skulking around town."

"Thanks Tot."

Vic was closing the door when he heard Professor Rodor suddenly call after him.

"Remember Charlie, you'd better bring that Helena here! I'm tired of waiting!"

Vic quietly shut the door, pretending not to have heard the aging professor. It annoyed Tot when Vic pretended not to listen to him.

…………………………………………………………

"The Hooded Justice?" Green Arrow asked. He eyed Captain Atom as the superhero shuffled a deck of cards.

"He's a new superhero that has been currently active in Great Britain. He filed a request last week to join the League," Atom answered. He pushed five cards towards the green clad archer.

Green Arrow stared at his cards before laying one down and drawing a replacement from the stack of cards.

"They going to let him in?" he asked.

"That's what I've been told," Captain Atom answered. "Wonder Woman told me that he would be here on Thursday."

Green Arrow wondered what the new Leaguer would be like.

……………………………………………………………………….

A lone figure stood by an open window, watching the growing darkness in Hub City. Hub City…a city more notorious for its crime than even Gotham City.

At night, the vultures came out. Vultures to feed and scavage on a decaying city.

"Report," Greed ordered. A tall figure, half hidden in the shadows, bent respectfully towards his leader.

"All is as expected. They told me to come up on Thursday to process my paper work.

Greed smiled as he turned towards the other Sin. The faint lights of nearby neon lights reflected dully off of the other man's demonic mask.

"Make us proud Gluttony," Greed murmured. "Be the best damned superhero you can be."

…………………………………………………………………

The Question softly hummed an old song to himself as he stepped around some broken beer bottles. He turned down a tight corner of a dark, rank alley and nonchalantly kicked open a rotting door. He stepped carefully through and slipped silently down a dirty set of trash covered cement steps.

_Ah…the sludge of Hub City. How quaint…how charming…how absolutely disgusting._

Conveniently for him, he knew that a man named Lev Goncherova conducted business down here. A former Soviet spy, the man now made his money on the blackmarket selling weapons, drugs, women…

Information.

"Who's there?" A heavily accented voice boomed. The Question paused as he heard a familiar metallic click.

_Ah…a Beretta? They tend to be favored by former spies, if I recall._

The Question stood silently in the shadows as he listened. Goncherova probably wasn't alone. Hmm…

Unfortunately for Goncherova, the Russian had no patience. Fortunately for the Question, he himself _did_.

One minute passed.

Two.

Three.

"Who's there?" the voice cried again, this time more distressed.

Four minutes.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Then…

"_As I walked out in the Streets of Laredo  
As I walked out in Laredo one day…" _Vic began to sing, first softly, then increasing in volume.

"_I spied a young cowboy, all wrapped in white linen  
wrapped up in white linen and cold as the clay."_

The Beretta fired, ricocheting off of the cement steps. Vic slipped closer to the back room. He was now certain that Goncherova was alone.

"_I see by your outfit, that you are a cowboy,  
These words he did say as I slowly walked by..."_

"**Shut up! Shut up! Who's there?!"**

"_Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story,  
For I'm shot in the breast, and I'm dying today."_

"**Who the hell is out there??"**

The Question swung into action, racing into the room and knocking the gun from the Russian's hands. He twisted the man around and applied force to a pressure point in each of his arms.

"**Who the hell are you??"**

"That," the Question murmured softly into his ear, "Is the question."

…………………

_**Chapter notes:** Myra Fermin, the mayor, is a former…ahem…romantic….friend of Vic's. Senator Keene and his proposed anti-Vigilante bill was inspired by the Keene Act from the Watchmen, which outlawed vigilantism. _

_Professor Aristotle "Tot" Rodor was already explained in the chapter, he's Vic/the Question's closest confidant (except now for Helena.) and the inventor of his mask._

_The song Vic is singing is the 'Streets of Laredo.'_

_Vic's mention of the collapse of the Newton Avenue Bridge and the drowned kid is an incident from the Feb. 1988, No. 13 Issue of The Question. _

_The Hooded Justice was a superhero in The Watchmen. He inspired the one in this story._


	5. The Target

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 5: The Target_

"Who the hell are you? Let me..." The Russian bit back a yelp as the Question twisted an arm sharply.

"Bradvn," the Question said calmly.

"I don't know anything, you dirty bas…"

Vic kneed him in the back of his spine. Lev Goncherova crumpled forward, groaning in pain.

"Bradvn," Vic repeated. The former Soviet gasped as Vic dug his knee into the man's back.

"I…I don't much," the Russian admitted. "All I know is that either she found out something she shouldn't have or she was asking too many questions."

"Senator Keene," the Question said quietly, with a touch of dark warning, "What's her connection to _Keene_?"

"I…I don't know," Goncherova admitted. Vic applied more pressure, but the Russian repeated himself. Perhaps he was telling the truth…

"Let's say I believe you," Vic replied finally. "So…why don't you tell me something interesting? You said that Bradvn was asking too many questions."

There was a long pause.

"I asked a question," Vic reminded him. "A question must have an answer."

The Russian swallowed a few times in what Vic realized was fear. Beads of sweat began to drip down his neck.

"Sloth," he finally whispered hoarsely. The Question tightened his grip on the man.

"Tell me about Sloth," Vic ordered calmly.

"I don't know if it's a man or a woman. No one seems to know. The only description that the stories agree on is that he or she wears a white mask that looks like a demon."

"What's Sloth's connection to Bradvn?" Vic asked. The man was breathing heavily now. The Question knew that he would have to get his information quickly before the man lost his nerve.

"There may not be one, I just know that he…or she…carries a lot of weight with certain members in the City Council and police department. I don't know which ones."

Vic was silent for a moment as he processed the information. He could feel the Russian's skin growing clammy under his grip. Not much time left before it would be impossible to get information from him.

"Have you had any dealings with Sloth?"

"No…well…not directly," Goncherova admitted in his heavily accented English. "Two weeks ago I was ordered by Sloth to supply a weapons shipment to someone in Chicago. Someone else played the go between."

"Who?"

"A man, some crime boss. He had three bodyguards with him…two men and a woman."

"Names."

"I don't know," the Russian replied. Vic twisted some of the man's fingers, causing a grimace of pain.

"The woman…they called her Shiva," Lev sputtered. "Lady Shiva. I think she was Chinese. The two men were Caucasian, Americans, I think. One was blonde, the other a brunette. They threw around a lot of muscle, but you could tell they were afraid of the woman."

"Tell me about this Shiva," Vic ordered calmly. Not much time left.

"Don't know," the Russian replied hastily. "I never spoke to her. She was really calm though…and seemed to detest violence."

"And this go between…his name?"

"I…I don't…"

"Name!"

"Mandragora. Steven Mandragora."

………………………………………………

"**Mandragora's out of prison!**"

Helena, as Vic knew she would be, was in an absolute fury.

No…absolute fury was an understatement. But at the moment, Vic Sage couldn't think of a term to adequately describe the Huntress's rage.

"**When the hell did he get out!? How!?**"

Vic chose not to answer just yet. It was best to let her calm down before she broke something in his apartment. It would be about ten minutes before Helena Bertinelli was calm enough to come back and sit on the corner of his couch.

She crossed her arms and stared intently at him, dark eyes burning with barely hidden anger.

"Someone provided the bail money," Vic answered calmly. His statement sent Helena off into another angry tirade.

"Please Helena…my kitchen cabinets can only take so much of a beating." Helena stopped slamming the cabinet doors closed and stalked back to where he was seated at his computer.

"Who?" she asked icily. "Who bailed that bastard out?"

"Legal records show a Talia Conner. However…" Vic held up a hand to pause another outburst from Helena. "However…there are no other records of a Talia Conner besides a false address and bank account. She doesn't exist."

"You have any ideas?" Helena asked.

"A few. I believe there is a connection with this Sloth person, perhaps more. Perhaps Mandragora even has a connection to Bradvn's murder."

"Sloth…" Helena murmured angrily. Her eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Sloth…VII…Seven Sins…" she said quickly. "You think…"

"That there are others? It seems very likely, but we can't jump to conclusions just yet."

"Let's see…" Helena started. "Sloth…that leaves six more. What are the other sins again? I can only remember greed, lust, pride, and envy."

"Sloth, lust, pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, and greed," Vic answered. The seven sins had been drilled into him during his lessons at the orphanage.

"So…" Helena finally said after a long moment, "We're you going to start?" She walked over and began to massage his back, feeling calmer than she had moments before.

Vic didn't answer right away, he closed his eyes as slender, but strong, female fingers gently soothed his sore muscles. A pair of blue eyes opened after a few moments and looked up at the raven haired beauty.

"Goncherova mentioned a woman named Lady Shiva," Vic said. "I've heard of her before. She's an assassin who'll hire herself out to anyone who can afford to pay her."

"Sounds dangerous," Helena smirked.

"You have no idea," Vic answered. "She's supposed to be a master martial artist, perhaps the best."

"The best?" Helena echoed. Vic Sage gave her one of his mysterious smiles.

"The best," Vic said quietly. "Batman's run into her before. He defeated her once, but just barely and it wasn't hand to hand. He also had Dick Grayson's help when he was still Robin. I heard Wayne reluctantly mention to Wildcat once that he thought that Shiva might be the best fighter alive."

"Hell…" Helena muttered. Then she smirked.

"What?" Vic asked carefully.

"Can you imagine the look on Bat's face if we took down Shiva?" she asked playfully. Vic gave her an intent look that she knew all to well.

"Yeah…" she muttered. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

……………………………………………..

Excerpt from the The Daily Planet  
**Senate Filibuster Causes Divide in Congress  
**_by Clark Kent_

_For the fifth day in a row, Senator James Greer of Minnesota (D) and Senator Charles Keene of Kentucky (D) have led a filibuster to block a bill that would allow more coordination between the Justice League and government agencies._

_Senator Keene supports a bill that would outlaw all forms of vigilantism. Tentatively dubbed the 'Keene Act', this bill failed to gain support in the Senate five months earlier._

_Congress is currently divided over the issue. Many favor the new bill, led by Senator Nancy Nietz of Ohio (R). However, there is controversy over just how much coordination and government information should be shared with the League._

_Many, like Senators Greer and Keene, are in strong opposition of such a bill._

Shayera Hol scowled as she set down the newspaper. The Keene vs. Nietz controversy was a hot topic on the Watchtower.

"You busy?" a female voice asked. The Thanagarian woman looked up to see a familiar Amazon warrior towering over her.

"Naw," Shayera said, tossing the article back onto the table. Diana's eyes glanced down at the title, but decided to ignore the topic for now.

"Come on," the Amazon princess said. "Our newest member is here to today for his orientation. Superman wants us to meet him." Shayera followed after her and the two women walked into the League's boardroom a few minutes later.

Flash was sitting on the table, chatting energetically to a hooded figure, who nodded on occasion when he deemed it to be appropriate. Superman stood nearby, adding the occasional comment.

All eyes turned to them as the women entered.

"Shayera, Diana," Clark said cheerfully, I want you to meet Hooded Justice."

Hooded Justice silently held out a hand to the women. Diana was the first to take it and warmly shake his hand. As she spoke to him, Shayera studied the new Leaguer.

He towered above Clark and resembled Steel in his build. The man wore black and red spandex, with a heavy black cloak.

Hooded Justice also wore a black executioner's mask. Shayera wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Ms. Shayera Hol?" he asked, in a clipped British accent. The Thanagarian snapped out of her thoughts and shook the man's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hooded Justice," she said warmly. She pushed away a faint voice of suspicion into the far corner of her mind.

"I'll enjoy working with you," she added.

"I'll enjoy working with you too," came the reply.

The Hooded Justice smirked underneath his mask.

……………………………………………………………….

Professor Aristotle "Tot" Rodor sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He had promised that young idiot former student of his that he would search for his long lost brother.

The problem was, the mysterious Edward Szasz didn't seem to want to be found.

Professor Rodor wasn't quite the detective that Vic Sage was, but he still prided himself on his research. Tot was a thorough man, anything less than that annoyed him. It appeared to be a trait that he had passed on to Charles Victor Szasz.

Tot couldn't find any documentation on the missing Szasz, which puzzled him.

Even the dead had records.

……………………………………….

Greed placed a demonic mask over his face before he entered the room. An old man was seated near a window that opened out into a view of the Munich street below.

"Gutentag," Greed greeted in German. The old man smiled as he stood up and greeted the Sin.

"It's always a pleasure when one of our best clients visits us in person," he said in perfect English.

"I was in Munich on other business," Greed said. "Since I have a new request, I thought I'd pay a personal visit."

"Ah…good," the Old Man smiled with pleasure. "Would you like a beer while we discuss your new contract?"

"Yes, please."

"Good, I'll have my secretary bring some in."

Moments later, both men were sipping on the dark German beer as they discussed business. The two men discussed politics briefly before Greed finally got to the point.

"The target is Senator Charles Keene," the Sin said, draining his stein. The Old Man lifted an eyebrow.

"Senator Keene? Interesting. I, of course, won't ask your motivation since you pay us well."

"I don't mind explaining, as you have served me well in the past," Greed replied. "I want to make him a martyr for the cause."

"I…see. And does my close associate have a specific request for the job, or shall I pick someone myself?" the Old Man asked.

"I'd like to request a fox."

There was a long pause at that. Greed sat forward as he saw the hesitation on the other man's face.

"Is there a problem?" Greed asked carefully. "He's one of your best…and is well suited for this job."

"Number 16 may be compromised," came the reply.

"Explain," the Sin demanded. He wanted this specific assassin.

"There was an incident three months ago," the German began. "He killed the target, but he made some mistakes, which has never happened before. The fox…is showing signs that he is starting to develop a conscience. He's starting to realize that he's human."

Greed thought for a long moment before choosing a response.

"The fox…he was conditioned from childhood, wasn't he? What are you going to do with him?"

"You know as well as I do that when a weapon begins to lose its edge, either you sharpen it or discard it," the old man replied.

"And this weapon…can it be sharpened?" the Sin asked.

"That remains to be seen," the German replied. Greed thought silently for a few minutes before he smiled underneath his mask.

"Perhaps…he can serve two purposes," he suggested. The old man raised an eyebrow, as if asking him to explain.

"An attempted assassination may work just as well as a real one for my purposes," Greed continued. "Think of it as a test. If he passes, you know he still has some use as a weapon. If he fails…he still serves a similar purpose for me and you can 'discard' him at will."

The old man was silent for a long time before he too smiled.

"Agreed. The Society of Assassins is always happy to do business with you, Herr Greed, whatever the request may be."

"The pleasure," Greed smiled coldly, "Is mine."

…………………………………………………..

_**Chapter notes:**_

_Lady Shiva appeared in the first issue of The Question. For those of you that have read it, she will be playing a somewhat similar role here. As for the comment that Batman was said to have made about her, I haven't read it myself, but it was in an issue of Batman. I'm sorry to say that I don't know which one. I discovered that little tidbit about her as I was trying to do a little research on the character._

_As for Vic's missing brother, he is my own creation. I figured that since Vic was an orphan, there was a very good chance that he has other family out there. _

_This is also my first attempt at a mystery. There weren't any Question solo (or somewhat solo) stories and I wanted to try one._

_Senators Keene and Greer were mentioned in previous chapters, in case you don't remember._


	6. The Assassin

**It's been awhile since I've updated, so I've included a brief synopsis of the last chapter. However, you may still need to reread it if you need a memory refresher. I apologize for the delayed update.**

**Last chapter: **Helena and Vic discover that Steven Mandragora is out of prison. Not only that but he appears to be connected to the VII Sins, apparently working with both Sloth and an assassin named Lady Shiva. The proposed Keene Act continues to draw national controversy over its stance on vigilantism.

Meanwhile, Greed is planning for the assassination of Senator Keene.

"_I want to make him a martyr for the cause."_

Shades of Avarice

_Chapter 6: The Assassin_

**Hub City  
KBEL Daily News**

**The Morning Report**

"_The Keene vs. Nietz controversy reached new heights yesterday when Senators Greer and Keene introduced a new section to the proposed Keene Act as an attempt to compromise with the supporters of Nietz's Defense Bill._

_The new section, instead of outlawing all forms of vigilantism, would allow government certified superheroes to remain in action. Under the Keene Act all superheroes and vigilantes would be required to be registered with the government. Any who do not would not legally be able to carry forth their brand of justice and therefore face prosecution._

_There has yet been no response from the Justice League, but I can imagine that many in the superhero community are outraged. This bill would force them to reveal their secret identities to the government._

_We are currently out of time, so thank you for listening to the Morning Report. Tune in at five for continuing coverage of the Bradvn murder. This has been Vic Sage reporting."_

………………………………………………

"They can't be serious!"

All eyes in the cafeteria turned to Vigilante. The cowboy had become outraged after reading the day's newspaper, even spraying coffee over his friend Shining Knight.

"Calm down," Fire urged. However, even the Brazilian woman looked concerned as she turned to Zatanna. "Can they even enforce that?" she questioned. "Not all of us are even American." The magician shrugged her shoulders as she eyed a copy of _The Daily Planet_.

"No, but if Congress passes the Keene Act other countries may follow suit," Captain Atom explained. "Most of the world's probably waiting to see how this plays out here before making similar moves."

Concerned murmurings continued to filter from the cafeteria and throughout the rest of the Watchtower. A pair of Kryptonian ears tried to ignore the rising tension as he spoke with the newest member of the League.

"Mr. Terrific will most likely be contacting you today for a mission," Superman said. Today was the Hooded Justice's official first day in the League. The tall, broad man walked beside him, matching the Kryptonian's stride. The other man nodded his head silently. The new Leaguer walked in silence for a few minutes as Superman tried to fill the awkward silence with small talk.

"Do you think the Keene Act will pass?" Hooded Justice asked finally. Clark gave a start before sighing internally. Of course he would ask about that. It was on everyone's mind.

"There are more people against it than for it," Clark replied. "Although their addition of government registration has helped them gain a few more supporters. They don't know that the registration is pointless."

"Why?"

Clark paused at that. He wasn't sure how much to tell Hooded Justice. The Kryptonian knew that certain members in the government already had access to files containing their personal information. Bruce was going to speak with Amanda Waller today, but Clark already knew that she was against Keene. According to Bruce, Waller was secretly behind the new Defense Bill that would allow more coordination with the Justice League.

"Many of our names are already known to certain members of the government," Clark finally said carefully. "They've kept files on many of us." Clark didn't say any more and Hooded Justice didn't ask.

…………………………………..

"You're going out tonight, I take it?" Tot asked, placing some dishes back into the cupboard. Vic was staring blankly at the computer screen as tried to find some connection, any connection.

"Yes," Vic answered when Tot asked him again. "According to Goncherova, this Sloth controls many people in city council and the police department. If Mandragora is working as the middle man in black market deals, there's a good chance I can find him in Hub City.

"And how, may I ask, are you going to do that?" Tot asked.

"I'm going to pay a visit to Izzy."

"Ah…another outstanding evening with Isadore O'Toole," the professor quipped. Vic smiled. Police Lieutenant Isadore "Izzy" O'Toole was one of the few honorable cops in the corruption that was called the Hub City Police Department. Once one of the PD's most corrupt police officers; Izzy had completely reversed his direction in life after the Question had once saved it.

Vic knew full well that the police department was corrupt, hence why he often took pot shots at it during his news casts. The only saving grace in the whole PD was Izzy O'Toole and about a dozen cops who were loyal to him. Thirteen cops in a city with a higher crime rate than Gotham. The irony wasn't lost on him.

"Izzy will listen to me," Vic said. Isadore O'Toole was slow to trust or tolerate anyone. He tolerated and respected Vic Sage to a degree, but it was the Question that he was more willing to work with.

"By the way…I had a strange dream last night," Vic said. He finally had decided to close his folders on the computer and take a break. Tot raised an eyebrow from his place in the kitchen.

"Oh?" Tot asked. "Not your usual sort apparently." Aristotle Rodor knew that Charles Victor Szasz's dreams were often haunted by unpleasant memories.

"I don't remember much. There was a man with red hair. I felt like I somehow knew him," Vic replied.

"Your wayward brother perhaps?"

"I don't know," Vic sighed. "Maybe. There was another man too, in a wheelchair. I also remember seeing mountains." Maybe he shouldn't have had those M&M's and Twizzlers last night.

"Dreams are a strange thing Charlie." Tot sat down on his favorite chair as he faced his former pupil. "Some say it's our subconscious at work trying to tell us something. Others say it's merely a fantasy of our brain."

"Or a glimpse of the future," Vic added. He refrained from telling Tot all about the CIA's hidden research into viewing the future with dreams. Or how the Illuminati Mystics used dreams to…

"That too," Tot said, cutting off Vic's train of thought. "Anyway…" With that Tot pointed a threatening finger at the younger man. "Friday night you and Helena are coming over for dinner. It's about time I meet this girl." Vic started to protest about how he didn't have the time, he had to investigate…

"No excuses," Tot insisted firmly. "No whining." Vic allowed himself a small smile. The aging professor looked like a father lecturing his misbehaving son.

"I don't whine," Vic retorted. Funny how Helena often accused him of that too.

"Then you complain in adolescent way," Tot shot back. Vic glared at him, but Tot ignored him. Vic Sage decided to be an adult and ignore the comment.

"Pray…may I enquire as to what Chef Rodor is concocting on Friday night?"

"Lasagna," Tot answered. "And you'd better be here. Even Plato didn't write his _Symposium _on an empty stomach." Vic leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. He had to go back to work in a few hours and he needed the rest if he was going to be awake a significant portion of the night. Still, he couldn't resist throwing out one more piece of sarcasm.

"I don't think Plato ate lasagna."

"One more quip out of you Charlie and you're having bread and water!"

"Can I have flavored water?"

…………………………………………………………………

It hadn't taken the Question long to find Izzy O'Toole. He had the police officer's phone number on speed dial.

It was close to ten that night when the two men had met up near a run down Chinese restaurant on 27th Ave. Izzy stuck his hands into his pocket as they walked a few blocks to be certain they weren't followed.

"So what d'you have for me No Face?" Izzy asked gruffly. The Question came to a halt as he looked at the grizzled cop.

"Bradvn's murder," he said.

"What about it?"

"She was going to run against Mayor Fermin in the next election. Apparently Senator Keene deposited $20,000 to a private account of Bradvn's to help pay for the upcoming campaign costs."

"We checked her bank account," Izzy said. "I had one of my own check it. She found nothing suspicious."

"It was listed under a false name."

"You're sure it was Bradvn's though?" the policeman asked.

"Positive."

"Damn." Izzy wasn't happy with that news, especially when a new thought struck him.

"Wait…did you say Keene? The asshole who has the whole country fired up about vigilantes?"

"The very same," the Question answered. "And that's not all. The 'VII' that was carved into Bradvn's face…it stands for the Seven Sins."

"What, so we have a bunch of religious nutjobs?"

"Seven, although religious is hardly the word to describe them. At least one of them, named Sloth, is operating in Hub City. My sources tell me that this person has control over much of the city council and even your department."

That last part didn't surprise Izzy. The police department had been corrupt for a long time. He had also noticed that his superiors had basically given up on the investigation. It was only because of the insistence of Mayor Myra Fermin as well as his own stubbornness that there was still even an ongoing investigation.

"You should also know that a criminal named Steven Mandragora is working for Sloth," the Question added. "He's a former crime boss and is responsible for the deaths of many people. He was in prison for a while, but someone paid the bail money about a month ago."

"I've heard of him," Izzy said. "I hear he's really nasty."

"Like moldy Feta cheese. He's been playing the go between for Sloth in the black market. Weapons…to be more precise. Mandragora also has a professional mercenary with him, a lady named Shiva. _Do. Not. Fight. Her._" The Question emphasized the last part. If Batman of all people had trouble with her, there was nothing Izzy could do but lose his life.

Izzy O'Toole was not a happy man. Hub City's internal corruption was bad enough as it was…especially for the small number of still loyal police officers.

"Word on the street is that members of the Chinese Triad got a hold of some new weaponry a few weeks ago," Izzy finally said. "According to a guy we caught shoplifting Sunday, a group Neo-Nazis are expecting a shipment of weapons in a couple days, but we don't know where or when. I don't exactly have the manpower to find and stop them."

"I know Izzy," the Question answered. Inwardly though he was seething. Three things enraged him…okay, four, but missing an episode of _Oprah_ was another matter. He hated seeing people hurt kids, he despised people who made Helena cry and he hated ignorant racist bigots.

"I'll see what I can find out," the Question promised.

"Be careful No-Face."

……………………………………………………………………………

A tall, muscular man stood at the window, looking up at the moon. He and the moon had been friends for a long time. A chilly breeze wafted through the window, announcing the approach of October.

"Keene should be dead soon," a female voice said. Greed looked over as Lust walked softly up next to him.

"Perhaps," Greed replied.

"This man you hired, you suspect that he may not succeed?"

"My associate informed me that this assassin, the one they call the Fox, had an incident about three months ago. He was supposed to kill a child, but he resisted."

"Did he kill her?" Lust asked.

"My associate claims he did, but he was lying. I know for a fact that the child got away."

"Then why…what if this 'Fox' fails?" she asked cautiously. Greed smiled.

"Either way, I win," he answered. The other woman gave him a curious look, to which he replied with a quote.

"A man once said, 'How to achieve the moral breakdown of the enemy before the war has started – that is the problem that interests me.'"

"And who said that?" The dark skinned woman saw a mysterious smirk grow on her leader's face.

"Adolf Hitler."

……………………………………………………

_Location: Jeffersontown, Kentucky_

_The Home of Senator Charles Keene_

Silent feet landed on the opposite side of a high security wall. The man froze, hidden in the shadows as his sharp eyes scanned the perimeter. Satisfied that the security system had indeed been disengaged, the assassin known as the 'Fox' slinked softly towards the two story mansion.

An owl hooted in the cool night air. A crescent moon hung high overhead as the man suddenly dropped down behind a hedge of bushes. An armed security guard stepped around the corner, boredom evident on his face. The silent shadow watched and waited. It was standard procedure at this location for armed guards to travel in pairs. Moments later, a female figure also stepped around the corner.

The Fox struck before either guard could react. He carefully checked their pulses before pulling out a couple of needles. Once he would have killed them. But now, for reasons not entirely understood to the assassin, he merely drugged the pair and hid them in the shadows.

The man pulled a small grappling gun from the inside of his jacket. He took aim at the roof. The hook latched securely in place and the wire grew taut. Clicking the retract button on the gun, the assassin slid silently up the wire and landed quietly on the roof. Looking around, the Fox quickly slid down to a ledge and expertly opened a locked window.

He was inside.

The Fox padded down the hallway, searching for his target. A few minutes later, he slipped into a large family room. A gray haired man lay dozing in an elegant armchair. The assassin crept up and pulled out a Beretta. He lifted the gun and pressed it to the side of his target's head.

The man woke up with a start, but the assassin covered the target's mouth with his other hand. The older man's eyes widened in terror as the assassin prepared to pull the trigger.

Then he froze.

A small child was curled up in the man's lap. The assassin deduced that this must be a grandchild. He prepared to pull the trigger again, but his finger refused to move.

The child…

That child…

Unbidden, a memory from three months ago overwhelmed his senses. A memory that had been haunting him.

_A young girl stared impassively at him. The assassin wondered how she could be so calm, so emotionless. Was it because of her abilities? The Society had assured him that they had that part taken care of, all he had to do was pull the trigger. They had given him specially designed bullets for the child._

_The pale girl's dark eyes pierced sharply into his own brown ones, her dark raven hair barely moving as she took a step forward._

"_You're just like me," the child said. The assassin gave a start. Just like her?_

"_A pawn," the girl answered, as if reading his thoughts. There was a hint of anger in her voice. "I can see it in your eyes. They tell you what to do, you don't think…you don't choose to do this."_

"_What do you mean?" the assassin asked. The girl gave him an unblinking stare, as if peering deep into his mind._

"_They took you as a child, tortured you, trained you, formed you into this." She said the last part with distaste. "You never had a choice."_

_The gun lowered a fraction. He stared at the girl._

"_What?" he asked._

"_They did that to me too," the girl went on. "Ace can you do this; Ace I want you to kill them. Ace, Ace, Ace…"_

_The gun trembled in the man's hand. His vision blurred as a long forgotten memory surfaced. _

"_**Boy I want you to shoot this target. Boy, kill this man. Boy, Boy, Boy…"**_

"_They took your free will," the girl said. "You can take it back though. I did."_

"_Free…will?" he questioned, voice trembling._

"_What's your name?" the girl asked. The man blinked. A name? He had always been Number 16 or the Fox. A name…?_

"_They even took your name," the child said with a touch of pity. "At least I still have mine. I'm Ace."_

"_I…don't…"_

_The man suddenly doubled over as his mind screamed in agony. It was as if an electrical shock had ignited his brain. When his vision finally cleared, he saw that the girl was gone. However, he heard her faint voice in his mind._

"_Run away."_

The assassin's eyes cleared as he saw that he was still pressing the Beretta to the target's head. His name…did he once have a name?

"What're you waiting for?" Senator Keene finally growled. "Do it."

But the assassin still hesitated. He looked down at the sleeping child and back up at the senator. Free will…

"No," he finally whispered. Silently he withdrew the gun and placed it back inside his jacket. He quickly withdrew from the room as the senator held his breath. Senator Keene caught a flash of red hair as the man who had tried to murder him escaped from the room.

"**SECURITY!!"**

Within minutes, the whole house was bustling with security officers as the frightened family burst into the family room.

Search though they did, the unnamed assassin had already disappeared.

……………………………..

_**Chapter notes:**_

_Izzy O'Toole is a recurring character in the Question comics. _

_I suppose you can say that the assassin was influenced somewhat by the Bourne Identity, but I also was influenced by a manga called 'Black Cat.'_

_For those of you who have read the comics, then you probably can guess who the second man in Vic's dream was._

_The Chinese Triads that were mentioned are Chinese organized crime groups. They are known to have connections in the United States even though their presence isn't as significant here as other crime groups._

_For those of you interested, I found a cool Question amv/tribute video on youtube. I posted a link for in in my author profile. There's not a lot of comments on it, which is sad as it is the best JLU Question vid I have yet to see. The song that is used is very addicting._


End file.
